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Highly recommended:
Folklore of World Holidays
by Margaret
Read MacDonald
Who's Who in Classical Mythology
The Masks of God
Joseph Campbell
The Power of Myth
Joseph Campbell
Mythology
Edith Hamilton
Greek Gods, Human Lives
Bulfinch's Mythology
Gods, Goddesses, and Monsters
Dictionary of Roman Religion
Pilgrims and Pilgrimage in Ancient Greece
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
By Joseph Campbell
The Star of Bethlehem : The Legacy of the Magi
Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the
War on Terror
Pattern Recognition
By William Gibson
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Internet Sacred Text Archive CD-ROM
The Elements of Ritual
Eats, Shoots & Leave
Life in a Medieval Village
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What
Would Jefferson Do?
By Thom
Hartmann
When Corporations Rule the World
The Big Buy - Tom Delay's Stolen Congress
The Corporation
Highly recommended DVD
Shaking the Foundations: 200 Years of
Investigative Journalism in America
By Bruce Shapiro
Remotely
Controlled: How Television Is Damaging Our Lives and What We Can Do About It
The Skeptic's Dictionary
The Daily Planet
Medieval Celebrations
Women's Activism and Globalization
The Atlas of Holy Places and Sacred Sites
Secrets and Lies
The Clash of Civilizations
Imperial Crusades
Aborigine Dreaming
The Medieval Cookbook
The Spiritual Traveler
The Murray Bookchin Reader
Environmental Activism
Astro pic of the day
American Folklore
Permaculture
The Last Alchemist: Count Cagliostro
Sun Goddess
African Folklore
Daily Everything
A Treasury of Irish Myth, Legend, and Folklore
The Edible Asian Garden
The Secret Language of Birthdays
Live with Passion!
Anthony Robbins
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Celtic Daily Prayer
Hidden Agendas
Poor Richard's Almanack
By Benjamin Franklin
Photo of the day
Wheel of the Year
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
The Survival of the Pagan Gods
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Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo
Libra
Scorpius
Ophiuchus
Sagittarius
Capricornus
Aquarius
Pisces
 Sun enters Leo,
5th sign of the
Zodiac
(Jul 23 - Aug 22)
Leo (the lion) is a constellation of the zodiac,
lying between dim Cancer to the west and
Virgo to
the east.
In Greek mythology, it corresponds to the Nemean
Lion which was killed by Hercules
during one of his quests. The Egyptians worshipped the lion because
the sun was in this constellation at the time of the life-giving
floods of the Nile.
The
astrological sign Leo is associated
with the constellation. In some cosmologies, Leo is associated with
the classical element Fire, and thus called a Fire Sign
(with Aries and
Sagittarius).
"Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac symbolised by the 'Lion', the 'King of beasts', the 'Great Light' and the 'Nemean Lion of Argolis' (this is the lion that only Hercules could defeat as the first of his twelve labours). Since ancient times the lion has been associated with fatherhood, religion and kingship. The mystical symbol of the Sun is also strongly connected with Leo representing primal life carrying the seed of life in its centre.
"The Sun is the ruling planet of Leo, known as 'Sol' to the Romans, bringing a sense of creativity and continual activity. It is important to be aware that the ruler of this sign has been worshipped since ancient times, reflected in all major deities. In ancient Egypt 'Ra' was the 'Sun God', in ancient Assyria 'Shamash' and to the Persians the 'Sun God' was 'Mithras'. So also we can find in ancient Greek mythology 'Helios', who came from the Heavens providing light for the day, believed to disappear into the sea at night. The Roman 'God Apollo' too provides vital clues as to the strong temperament of this sign. The qualities associated with the Leo are that of leadership, dignity, pride, ambition, high constant energy, self-confidence, enjoyment and satisfaction. They are also known to be extremely loyal in friendship, indeed honourable to a fault, and faithful in love. Leo will defend a loved one almost to the death abhorring injustice. Here we can see the possibility of danger, as Leo has also been thought to suffer with obstinate fixed attitudes but try to remember they have a big heart. The fifth phase of the journey of the Sun is experienced here, that of the mature adult with a clearly formed personality. Leo is a fixed and positive fire sign associated with the statements 'I create', 'I am number one', and 'I am magnificent'. It rules the heart and spine. Leo has many floral associations, with the Celandine, Chamomile, Holly, Lavender, Marigold, Passion Flower, Sunflower and all green vegetables (See Mystical WWW
Plants, &
Language of
Flowers). Leo is further associated with the Almond, Apple, Bay, Hazel, Laurel, Palm, and Walnut (See Mystical WWW
Trees). Colours associated with Leo are golden hues, ochre, orange, shades of yellow and browns."
Source
 Lion's Head Fountains
We often see in fountains the water flowing from a lion's
mouth. This ancient custom originates with the Egyptians who used this device to
symbolise the inundation of the Nile, which happens when the Sun is in Leo. The Greeks and Romans adopted the style for their fountains, and it was passed through the European nations.
How many zodiac signs are there?
John Mosley of the Griffith Observatory and the Belgian astronomer Jean Meeus investigated this question in 1999 and found that the planets
actually pass through 24 constellations.
Astrology
The
Real Constellations of the Zodiac
Astrology: Pro Astrology: Con
 Festival of the
Rising of Sothis-Sirius, star of Sisis,
ancient Egypt
It must have been early
recognised that the Nile began to rise afresh about the same time
(near July 19th of the Julian Calendar) that the brilliant star
Sirius (the dog-star), after having been invisible for a prolonged
period, was first again observed in the sky shortly before sunrise.
Consequently this latter event, described by modern astronomers as
the heliacal rising of Sirius and by the Egyptians as prt Spdt
'the going up of (the goddess) Sothis', came to be regarded as
the true New Year's Day (wpt-rnpt,
'the opening of the year'),
i.e. . . 'first month of inundation, day 1.
Gardiner, Egy.
Grammar, p. 205
The third New Year's Day is that of the Heliacal
Rising of the 'Arrow-Star' Sirius, which heralded the 1st day of
the Sothic year.
Source
More on Sirius, and more in the
Book of Days
Dog Days,
ancient Rome (Jul 3
- Aug 11)
Feast day of St Anne of
Constantinople
Feast day of St Apollinaris,
Bishop of Ravenna
(Muskflower, Scabiosa atropurpurea, is
today's plant, dedicated to this saint.)
St Apollinaris (also known as Apollinare
) is mentioned in the Acts
of the Apostles as a disciple of St Peter
the Apostle.
A noted miracle worker, he is considered especially effective
against gout
and epilepsy.
 Feast day of St Birgitta
(Bridget)
of Sweden
Birgitta (c. 1303 - July 23,
1373),
who was born at Finsta Castle, Uppsala, Sweden, began receiving visions,
mostly of the Crucifixion,
at the age of seven. her records of these Revelationes coelestes
('Celestial revelations') which were translated into Latin by
Matthias, canon of Linköping, and by her confessor, Peter prior
of Alvastra, obtained a great vogue during the Middle Ages.
Her prophecies and revelations made reference to prominent
contemporary religious and political events, both in Rome and in Sweden.
"These Revelations, Revelationes celestes, are
collected in eight books and a supplement, running to something
like 1,400 pages in modern print.
"They convey the picture of a clearly structured
personality. We are confronted with a person of outstanding will
power and rare vitality, of a practical disposition and not very
interested in theoretical questions. She has striking powers of
observation, an acute sense for details and fluency of
self-expression. She is also a great lover of nature; the
Swedish landscape makes its first literary appearance through
her obiter dicta." Source
In 1316, when she was about thirteen, she married prince Ulfo of Nerci; she had eight children including St Catherine
of Sweden. Founder of the Bridgettine Order, she is patron of Europe (appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1999), Sweden and widows. It is said that "Can
anything good come out of the North?" was Pope Boniface
IX's
spontaneous reaction when the question of Birgitta Birgersdotter's
canonisation was put before him in about 1390. Her feast day was formerly October 8
and is now July
23.
More
Feast day of St Herundo
Feast day of St Jane of
Orvieto
Feast day of St John
Cassian
Feast day of St Liborius, Bishop of
Le Mans
This 4th-Century saint was of a noble family of Gaul.
Patron of Paderborn, he is invoked against gravel
and the stone. His emblems are pebbles and a peacock.
He may be carrying small stones on a book. Liborius is invoked
against colic,
fever,
and gallstones.
Feast day of the Martyrs of Bulgaria
Feast day of St Phocas the
Gardener (Phocas of
Sinope)
He was an innkeeper,
gardener and martyr (beheaded c. 303 in the persecution
of Emperor
Diocletian) who used surplus crops to feed the poor. Phocas
is the
Latin word for 'seal',
which may explain is patronage of
sailors
and
mariners. A sailors' custom was to serve Phocas a portion of
every meal; this was called 'the portion of St Phocas'. This portion
was bought by one of the voyagers and the price deposited in the
hands of the captain. When the ship came into port, the money was
distributed among the poor, in thanksgiving to their benefactor for
their successful voyage. Phocas is also a patron saint of
agricultural workers,
boatmen,
farm workers,
farmers,
field hands,
gardeners,
husbandmen,
market-gardeners and
watermen.
St Patrick's
Saints o' the Day gives his feast day as
July 14;
the Wikipedia
article on this saint gives his feast days as
September 22,
July 23 and
March 5.
Feast day of St Romula
See also: List of saints, Patron saint
Feast
of the Three Wise Men (the Magi)
These
were first-century magi
(possibly a
priestly caste of ancient Persian Zoroastrianism) who visited the infant Jesus in
Bethlehem.
Their feast day was formerly Epiphany, January 6
(qv, and see also January 6, 2nd
page), and because of the antiquity of that commemoration, it is
then, and on its eve, January 5,
that most of the calendar customs associated with the Magi take
place.
It's
interesting to note that January 6 commemorates the Rising of the
Nile, and the Magi's following of the bright star, both of which are
associated with today (see above).
See also January 4
for the extraordinary association the Dogon people of Africa have
with Sirius.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter II, where
they appear, does not in fact number the Three Wise Men of Christmas
carols
and crèches,
but from the three gifts given, popular culture usually has three
Magi appearing at the scene.
The Three Wise Men frequently appear in
Nativity scenes and other Christmas
decorations; they are featured in the Christmas carol We Three Kings.
An apocryphal tradition in the West gives them
the names
Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior,
and Balthasar. Syrian
Christians call them Larvandad, Hormisdas, and Gushnasaph.
None of these names is obviously Persian nor carries any
ascertainable meaning. They offered gold (emblem of royalty),
frankincense (divinity) and myrrh (woe and death). The latter, a
herb used in mummification and embalming, symbolised the persecution
Jesus would receive, that would even take him to death.
Artists have used the theme to
represent the three ages of man, as the convention grew up to represent one as a young king, another in mid-life, and the third as an old man. Since the Age of Discoveries, they also
represent three parts of the world. Balthasar is thus represented as
a young African or Moor. The Journey of the Magi has been
a popular topos in Christian art.
The representation of the Magi as
kings was derived from Old Testament texts such as Isaiah 60:1-6 (which says "they shall bring gold and incense". In the Old Testament it was prophesied that "The kings of
Tarshish and the islands shall bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Seba
(Sheba) offer gifts"
(Psalm 72:10 - 11). Thus many Christians, by connecting that prophecy with the 'Three Wise Men', believe that they must have been kings. However, modern scholars tend to believe that if they
existed, they were likely to be astrologers from Babylonia (modern Iraq), Persia (modern Iran) or Arabia.
A Shrine of the
Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral exists in Cologne, Germany and, according to
tradition, it contains the bones of the Three Wise Men. In
medieval Europe, it was widely believed that the skulls of Caspar,
Balthasar and Melchior had magic powers. Anything that had touched
one of the skulls would protect the bearer while travelling. Their
names, too, were used as magic charms, even inscribed in garters,
girdles and rings, a practice held to be especially useful in the
treatment of cramp.
In Ben-Hur,
Balthasar is an old man who goes back to Palestine to see the former
child Jesus become an adult.
The Golden
Legend describes the gifts thus:
...by these three be signified three things that be in Jesu Christ: The precious Deity, the soul full of holiness, and the entire Flesh all pure and without corruption. And these three things be signified that were in the ark of Moses. The rod which flourished, that was the Flesh of Jesu Christ that rose from death to life; the tables wherein the commandments were written, that is the soul, wherein be all the treasures of sapience and science of Godhead. The manna signifieth the Godhead, which hath all sweetness of suavity. By the gold which is most precious of all metals is understood the Deity; by the incense the soul right devout, for the incense signifieth devotion and orison; by the myrrh which preserveth from corruption, is understood the Flesh which was without corruption.
Aurea
Legenda
(The
Golden Legend or Lives of the Saints.
Compiled by Jacobus
de Voragine (c. 1230 - 1298), Archbishop of Genoa, 1275.
First edition published 1470. Englished by William
Caxton (c. 1422 - c. 1491), first edition 1483).
More
More Magi lore
at the Book of Days
"The
Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi has stunning new
insight and approach, which finally gives a confident answer to a
question that has fascinated all Christians through the ages. ...
don't buy any other book on the Star of Bethlehem, because the old
astronomical views are guaranteed to be irrelevant."
Prof. Bradley E Schaefer, Yale University
Could the purchase of an ancient
coin have led to an important clue about the Star of Bethlehem?
The above illustration is a Roman coin from Antioch, Syria which
shows the zodiacal sign, Aries the Ram.
Revealing the Star of
Bethlehem Star
of Bethlehem bibliography The
UnMuseum: Bethlehem's Star
Was Jesus Christ born on December 25,
or another date? See September 15
in the Book of Days
The Three Wise Men,
Giotto and Halley's Comet
"The spacecraft Giotto was named after artist Giotto di
Bondone, who had used the appearance of Comet Halley in 1301 as
the model for the Star of Bethlehem in his 1304 painting titled
'Adoration of the Magi'. The purpose of the Giotto mission was to
study Comet Halley during the comet's perihelion passage in 1986."
Source
Click for Eastern Orthodox liturgical days Shop saints
Gion
Matsuri,
Kyoto, Japan (all of July)
Osorezan Taisai,
Bodai-ji Temple, Mutsu-shi, Aomori, Japan (Jul 20 - 24)
Yamaguchi Gion
Matsuri, Japan (Jul 20 - 27)
Esala Perahera
(Festival of Buddha's Tooth), Sri Lanka (Jul 22 - Aug 1) (2004)
Revolution Day (1952), Egypt
The Egyptian army, led by General Mohammed Naguib, seized power on July 23, 1952. King Farouk was removed from power.
Revolution Day, Libya
Remembrance Day, Papua New Guinea
Celebration of the birthday of Haile Selassie, Rastafarianism
(Warei
Taisai) Uwajima Matsuri, Uwajima, Japan (Jul 23 - 24)
Grand 69 Festival
"Famous for its hundreds of ships with the colorful Tairyoubata(big
catch) flags in the sea, Hashirikomi ceremony of Mikoshi and strange
creature called Ushioni." Source
Soma Nomaoi, Wild Horse
Chasing Festival, Soma, Japan (Jul 23 - 25)
"On the first day, a parade of horsemen wearing feudal costumes
arrives at the field, accompanied by sacred portable shrines. They
race to the sound of conch shells(Horagai). This race is called
Katchu-keiba. The next day, they scramble for shrine flags shot up
high into the air (Shinki-sodatsusen). On the last day, armed
horsemen chase wild horses into an enclosure of Shrine and
white-costumed men try to catch 4 or 5 horses with bare hands to
offer to the gods (Nomaoi)."
Source
On which day of the week were you born? Find out here
1626 Sabbatai Zevi, Jewish false Messiah (d. 1676)
1649 Pope Clement XI (d. 1721)
1777 Philipp Otto Runge (d. 1810), painter
1796 Franz Berwald (d. 1868), composer
1884 Emil Jannings (d. 1950), actor
1888 Raymond Chandler (d. 1959), American
novelist (The Big Sleep; Farewell My
Lovely)
 1892 Haile
Selassie I (Ras
Tafari; d. August
27, 1975),
last Emperor
(1930 -
1936; 1941 - 1974) of Ethiopia,
He is believed divine by the Rastafarians, members of the Jamaican
cult that bears his name.
"Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia,
known to his devotees as the King of Kings and the Conquering Lion
of the Tribe of Judah, is revered as the incarnation of God by
Rastafarians throughout the world. His birthday is celebrated
widely by all his followers.
"Since Rastafarianism is a highly
individual form of worship, organisation for the event is up to
individual groups and small communities throughout the world.
There is no Rasta Pope to organise the Rasta Christmas, so it is
difficult to predict what form the celebrations will take locally.
"What you can safely expect, though, is that there will be
concerts, gatherings, rallies and other forms of musical worship
throughout the world on this day. If you feel like being soothed
and stirred by the lush bass-lines of the funkiest devotional
music in the entire world, check out your nearest source of reggae
vibrations for some uniquely chilled-out spiritual partying.
"The name Rastafarianism derives from the pre-coronation title
of Haile Selassie: Ras, meaning 'prince', and Tafari, the
Emperor's personal name. The emperor became the official saviour
of the Rasta movement while still alive.
"The movement has strong roots in the imagery and language of
the Judeo-Christian Bible and carries a strong identification with
the African "homeland", where the Jews allegedly
originated. Though rooted in Christianity, the movement defies
many of the conventions of organised religion, partly because of
the rampant individualism and personal liberty advocated by Rastas.
"Rastafarianism also has strong political undercurrents. Its
origins lie in Jamaica in the 1920s, with the 'ministry' of
Marcus Garvey. Besides the divinity of Haile Selassie, the other
major doctrine is that the salvation of black people will come
through repatriation to Zion, or Africa. Babylon, the opposite of
the promised land, is the land of corruption, greed and spiritual
darkness, generally projected onto the commercial-capitalist West.
Many Rastas tend towards organic farming and a life "in
harmony with Jah". For one version of the ideal Rasta
lifestyle, we suggest you go and see the film Countryman.
"The famed and often prodigious dreadlocks (a dread is one who
fears Jah, the God of Abraham: the term derives from early Rasta
mystical doctrines) that decorate the heads of the male
'brethren' of the movement are one of the few common items of
religious apparel shared by most Rastas. Another is the symbolic
red, black and green cap: interpretation of these colours is
obviously individual, but to some they represent the red blood
shed in the struggle of black people throughout the ages, the
black skin of the chosen people and the green of the fertile
future Homeland of Ethiopia. Sometimes yellow is also added,
representing the gold and riches of the Homeland." Source
"Amongst followers of Rastafarianism, a religion which
developed in the 1930s in Jamaica
under the influence of Marcus Mosiah Garvey's 'Back
to Africa' movement, Haile Selassie is regarded as a Black messiah
who will lead the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora to freedom. Most
Rastafarians believe that Selassie is still alive, and that his
widely reported death was part of a conspiracy to discredit their
religion.
"The Emperor himself, a devout Christian,
was opposed to the Rastafarians' belief in him as messiah. A
state visit to Jamaica in 1966, during which Selassie was greeted
by massive screaming crowds, was reportedly quite unsettling for
the monarch. After the visit, the Emperor is said to have told Ethiopian Orthodox Archbishop Abuna Yesehaq: "There is a problem in
Jamaica.... Please, help these people. They are
misunderstanding, they do not understand our culture.... They
need a church to be established and you are chosen to go." The
Ethiopian Orthodox Church was established in Jamaica to convert
the Rastafarians to Christianity." Source:
Wikipedia
1893 Karl Menninger (d. 1990), psychiatrist
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Festival of the Neptunalia, in honour of Neptune and Salacia, Roman
Empire (Jul 23 - 24)
